Dan Rather: Government Influencing Newsrooms

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

(09-20) 21:00 PDT New York (AP) --

Dan Rather said Thursday that the undue influence of the government and large corporations over newsrooms spurred his decision to file a $70 million lawsuit against CBS and its former parent company.

"Somebody, sometime has got to take a stand and say democracy cannot survive, much less thrive with the level of big corporate and big government interference and intimidation in news," he said on CNN's "Larry King Live."

In the suit, filed a day earlier in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, Rather claimed CBS and Viacom Inc. used him as a "scapegoat" and intentionally botched the aftermath of a discredited story about President Bush's military service to curry favor with the White House. He was removed from his "CBS Evening News" post in March 2005.

"They sacrificed support for independent journalism for corporate financial gain, and in so doing, I think they undermined a lot at CBS News," he told King.


Read more: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/09/20/national/a204432D56.DTL

[Cha]

1. Is that like Pravda?

So glad Dan is back!

[The Backlash Cometh]

14. It's exactly like Pravda.

And the frightening thing is, that nobody seemed to put up a fight, until now.

[The Vinyl Ripper]

17. No, it's actually far worse than Pravda

Virtually all the Soviet people, even party members, knew that Pravda was pure propaganda and treated it as such.

In America today we have the illusion of choice, which is far more insidious and makes it far harder to overcome one's natural inclination to trust the system.

[The Backlash Cometh]

40. It's true.

I grew up in a banana republic, and nobody gave the media news much attention. They knew it was propaganda. US News is worse than Pravda because most Americans are too ignorant to comprehend the extent of the manipulation. But they can comprehend if you make an effort to explain it to them. They were capable of picking up the potential left-leaning influence of "Liberal" news. Why can't they see it when it's slanted in the other way?

[htuttle]

67. They can't see it because of Authority Worship

The right always tries come across as representing 'Authority', even if they're a bunch of crooked mobsters.

Another good example of this blind spot regards collusion or 'conspiracies'. People will often readily believe that those 'below them' on the social pecking order collude and conspire against them -- mechanics conspire to charge more for repairs, waiters and waitresses collude to screw over customers who don't tip well, etc... But these same people REFUSE to believe that those 'above them' in the social pecking order would do the same thing. It seems to hook into a person's faith in the system itself.

[shance]

78. Tuttle you are always spot on.

Great post and glad to see you.

:toast:

[The Backlash Cometh]

95. And if someone is going to convince them, it won't be us. Because

we have already been branded the enemy by their right-wing Alpha dogs.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

97. Why do right wingers idolize authority? I don't get it. nt

[The Backlash Cometh]

99. I'm not so sure if it's authority, as it is a need to belong to something

that is feared by other people. Jesus, I guess that means that right-wingers like being someone's bitch?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

100. hahahaha! Maybe!

I think right wingers like to be spanked by rich people.

[bdamomma]

74. because for too long we put our officials on a pedestal

not anymore they should. No one questions authority but after this regime hopefully people will question their leadership.

[tblue37]

76. Like the idea that one must NEVER criticize a general? n/t

[The Backlash Cometh]

98. I don't understand why people can't understand the Bush is hiding

behind the General. YOu see, Bush has no credibility with the American people anymore. The only thing he can count on, is to use other people's integrity in order to push his agenda. So, if we refuse to criticize Petraus, we essentially give Bush a voice he didn't have before, and certainly doesn't deserve now.

[tblue37]

109. Everyone should send the purple bandaid pics to Keith Olbermann

and ask him to do a comparison between that (and the Swift Boating of Kerry and the attcks on Cleland) with the Petraus brouhaha. We should make every efforts to force the MSM to acknowledge tht when Republicans smear honorable Democratic military men, no one says a word.

Bill Maher and Jon Stweart should also be asked to show those pics and make comments about the different responses to the smearing of Democratic military men who did not lie to further wrongheaded political positions.

[dickbearton]

91. To many Americans are of the fascist mindset...

John Dean talked about this problem. When it is slanted the
other way, they are in lockstep with it. Sieg Heil!

[Sarah Ibarruri]

96. You're absolutely right. I visited the Soviet Union prior to perestroika....

.... and everyone knew that propaganda was propaganda.

Our propaganda here is taken by all of us as news.

[Cha]

92. And that's why we're all flippin'

out over Dan's lawsuit.

I agree with all you who say the US corporatemediawhores are worse than Pravda..especially cnn. I would hope most have caught on to fauxnoise by now but they're bound to catch a few fresh flies swarming around.

When the US gets rid of the corporate fed stream and gets news from the Keith Olbermann school of journalism then America on the whole can start regaining her wisdom and respect from other Nations instead of derision, pity, and fear.

[goforit]

101. I always thought Poppy bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/W were KGB agents(anti-USA)

[stillcool]

2. some interesting articles..

regarding the media..
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Norman_Solomon/Norman_Solomon_page.html

[go west young man]

5. Great links. Thanks. Love Norman Soloman.

[blm]

25. Add this and remember WHEN exactly newsmedia upped their attacks on Kerry:

Kerry Seeks to Reverse FCC's "Wrongheaded Vote"
Commission Decision May Violate Laws Protecting Small Businesses; Kerry to File Resolution of Disapproval
Monday, June 2, 2003

WASHINGTON - Senator John Kerry today announced plans to file a "Resolution of Disapproval" as a means to overturn today's decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to raise media ownership caps and loosen various media cross-ownership rules.

Kerry will soon introduce the resolution seeking to reverse this action under the Congressional Review Act and Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act on the grounds that the decision may violate the laws intended to protect America's small businesses and allow them an opportunity to compete.

As Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Kerry expressed concern that the FCC's decision will hurt localism, reduce diversity, and will allow media monopolies to flourish. This raises significant concerns about the potential negative impacts the decision will have on small businesses and their ability to compete in today's media marketplace.

In a statement released earlier today regarding the FCC's decision, Kerry said:

"Nothing is more important in a democracy than public access to debates and information, which lift up our discourse and give Americans an opportunity to make honest informed choices. Today's wrongheaded vote by the Republican members of the FCC to loosen media ownership rules shows a dangerous indifference to the consolidation of power in the hands of a few large entities rather than promoting diversity and independence at the local level. The FCC should do more than rubber stamp the business plans of narrow economic interests.

"Today's vote is a complete dereliction of duty. The Commissioners are well aware that these rules greatly influence the competitive structure of the industry and protect the public's access to multiple sources of information and media. It is the Commission's responsibility to ensure that the rules serve our national goals of diversity, competition, and localism in media. With today's vote, they shirked that responsibility and have dismissed any serious discussion about the impact of media consolidation on our own democracy."

[Cassandra]

32. Same thing with Dean.

The "Dean scream" was aired a few days after Dean said he would act against media consolidation.

[blm]

34. Actually, Dean said that in mid-December, and that was when his once positive

coverage became noticeably more negative.

[BrklynLib at work]

35. It was the media that aided and abetted the destruction of the Gore campaign as well.

[keith the dem]

68. Check out the archives here for the proof:

http://www.dailyhowler.com/

[BrklynLib at work]

70. A listing of some of the more perfect examples of how the media made prez shit-for-brains into a

hero when in actuality he was a big pile of baloney!!!

[leQ]

75. i have been reading howler since 2000. he's great and i highly recommend him. (n/t)

[Doctor_J]

52. I love this part

"In Russia, a presidential adviser said President Vladimir Putin planned to study U.S. limitations on reporting about terrorists in order to develop rules for Russian media."

Pooty-poot is taking tyranny lesson from Stupid.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

3. "Somebody, sometime has got to take a stand..."

Thank you, Dan.

[Bitwit1234]

31. Seriously WONDER why they allow Keith Olbermann

to stay on. He must be bringing in a lot of advertising money for MSNBC. Because as you see none of the other cable networks have a democratic leaning commentator on. They are all republican crap spewers.

[nxylas]

36. Because sacking him would be too obvious?

If they let him stay, they can say "Not all news coverage is biased to the right. Look, you have Keith Olbermann and...er...".

[mntleo2]

39. They didn't seem to care when they sacked Donahue ...

...they just sacked him when he had the NERVE to try to bring on Scott Ritter. He had high ratings as well. Donahue said later it was required of him to have THREE wingnuts (my word, not his) on to ONE liberal. When they sacked Donahue, I wrote to them and told them I was disgusted with them and would no longer watch and did not until they put on Keith and I had heard from a lot of other people how awesome he was. Now I watch him, sometimes watch Tweety before him, and then turn it off immediately after Countdown is over as I cannot abide the following show.

Cat In Seattle

[nxylas]

61. That was in the Post-911 days

Then, they could probably fool enough people by saying that having a liberal on the air would be treasonous in a time of war or whatever bullshit excuse they used. Even the MSM can't be totally oblivious to the fact that Bush's approval ratings have dropped a bit since then.

[bbgrunt]

42. I wonder about this too. It is obvious that he is

getting ratings, but that is not their objective anymore. Just look at how they are trying to force Air America off the air despite ratings. It's like the voters in Kansas--voting against their own self interest because they have been convinced that there is something greater at stake. Only here we have CAPITALISTS working against immediate profits in order to capture and control all venues--for expected even greater profitability in the long run. It is, however, had to envision any typical capitalist with a long run view.

Maybe, in this process, they are allowing KO to continue as sort of a steam valve. Without KO there might already be people in the streets. People would turn off all media and start really questioning WTF was happening. So, you have KO and Stewart and SC to put the lie to the notion that our media is totally controlled propaganda.

[PATRICK]

86. Extreme capitalism

These are heady times, when the FIRST use of nukes and high risk money power plays seek to become the norm, not the base of supremacy one works from, even as an arrogant POS bully.

Hartman said it best about some sponsors airing their fare on fascist turn off tripe. That they were doing it to show support, or maybe payoffs, or extortion, to media for POLITICAL favors, damn the consumer. Con games, racketeering, tyranny, degradation can all "rise" to the fore under the same soft, gradual veneer of glamour, comforting materialism and Madison Avenue regulated "culture".

One small group, that got arrested for their exuberant price fixing shenanigans were spreading this mantra like the latest job outsourcing fad: "keep saying this to yourself: the consumer is your enemy, your competitor is your friend." In this type of insanity, business joins the ranks of the dictator, one big national company store that forces you to buy, takes tax money from benefits, owns government to get more advantage and money and favors. The consumer? Less than a slave, less than a number.

And the attitude there are too many pesky civil societies, too many people and that money can be made even more under this new darkness by producing things that actively kill consumers. Marketing misery seems actually a zesty challenge, to control and profit by eliminating the "consumer problem." So lawless it becomes, permitting and being perpetually amazed at the criminals it produces in business and government, that any remaining human threat such as law or social benefit or morality becomes their daily foe...certainly not making products to benefit society. And as with Dems, the worst is when the bulk who are not lawless are totally blind and complacent and PROTECTIVE of the madmen in the system.

The are no limits to vice other than death and civil law.

[bbgrunt]

88. that is very dark. I am afraid it might be our nightmare unless

we refuse to accept it.

[Joanne98]

103. Very well said.

[MessiahRp]

60. It's clearly because of the buzz and ratings he generates...

Donahue had decent ratings but nothing like KO's and not the same money demo either.

Although it'd be cool if they just dumped Tucker and gave Phil his slot. :)

Rp

[blm]

62. They kept him reined in until AFTER the 2004 election, though. That was their

goal. They needed Bush back in office because the legislation the corporate news owners wanted to protect and increase their power.

Kerry is the LAST person they wanted in the oval office.

Kerry Seeks to Reverse FCC's "Wrongheaded Vote"
Commission Decision May Violate Laws Protecting Small Businesses; Kerry to File Resolution of Disapproval
Monday, June 2, 2003

WASHINGTON - Senator John Kerry today announced plans to file a "Resolution of Disapproval" as a means to overturn today's decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to raise media ownership caps and loosen various media cross-ownership rules.

Kerry will soon introduce the resolution seeking to reverse this action under the Congressional Review Act and Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act on the grounds that the decision may violate the laws intended to protect America's small businesses and allow them an opportunity to compete.

As Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Kerry expressed concern that the FCC's decision will hurt localism, reduce diversity, and will allow media monopolies to flourish. This raises significant concerns about the potential negative impacts the decision will have on small businesses and their ability to compete in today's media marketplace.

In a statement released earlier today regarding the FCC's decision, Kerry said:

"Nothing is more important in a democracy than public access to debates and information, which lift up our discourse and give Americans an opportunity to make honest informed choices. Today's wrongheaded vote by the Republican members of the FCC to loosen media ownership rules shows a dangerous indifference to the consolidation of power in the hands of a few large entities rather than promoting diversity and independence at the local level. The FCC should do more than rubber stamp the business plans of narrow economic interests.

"Today's vote is a complete dereliction of duty. The Commissioners are well aware that these rules greatly influence the competitive structure of the industry and protect the public's access to multiple sources of information and media. It is the Commission's responsibility to ensure that the rules serve our national goals of diversity, competition, and localism in media. With today's vote, they shirked that responsibility and have dismissed any serious discussion about the impact of media consolidation on our own democracy."

___________________ _______________ ________________ __________

The NEWSMEDIA OWNERS did NOT want a new sheriff in town who would actually protect the American consumers.

[davekriss]

112. Donahue was the MSNBC ratings leader when...

...they yanked him. Does make one wonder why they allow Keith to continue. Perhaps it's a tactic to quell claims of propoganda, as they can always point to Olbermann as others have pointed to Colmes.

[badgervan]

4. Rather is Right

... and we still don't know what the Decider was up to that last AWOL year of his military "service". Now that is beyond odd.

[judaspriestess]

73. and yet another coincedence in the life of Jesus

and our new savior,bush. "The missing years"........ :crazy:

[GrannyK]

6. Finally,

a real journalist speaks out. Hope it is the beginning of a new type of 'surge.'
I have a dream - Some day, or night, the talking heads will revolt and take over news rooms all over the country for an orgy of TRUTH.

[Le Taz Hot]

19. Walter Cronkite and Daniel Schorr

have spoken out as well. Cronkite on an occasional basis and Schorr all the time on NPR.

[LuckyLib]

81. We need that revolt. When I tell folks the MSM is garbage they look at me like

I'm nuts. Too much kool-aid for too long.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[EVDebs]

7. Or govt inside the newsrooms...

http://www.counterpunch.org/cnnpsyops.html

[tom_paine]

8. Thank you, Dan. Now THERE'S some action to help our cause

Bring some light down on these Bushie cockroaches who have turned our media into a global laughingstock.

[BlooInBloo]

9. Nooooooo! REALLY?????

[deutsey]

16. LOL

[Wednesdays]

50. It seems so obvious to us here at DU, but you'd be surprised

At how few people even notice this in the general public. Most are perfectly happy to pick up and read a People magazine or Time or Newsweek, and watch a little bit of CNN...and they think they're among the most liberal and enlightened in the country.

I've yet to hear someone in public grumble about the corporate media or rightwing bias, and my local Sam's Club has Fox News blaring on all their widescreen TVs 24/7, and everyone goes about their business there as though everything was perfectly normal.

Most people are too busy to notice or care about the corporate takeover...

[ChiciB1]

72. I MUST Make A Comment Here... My Husband Is Out Of Town & I Had

to call him about a household matter and he asked me if I had watched Larry King last night. My reply was, "no I NEVER watch Larry King anymore" and so he says "it was really interesting what he was saying and this isn't right!"

I LAUGHED and asked him WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?? Not only do you live with a political activist and hear me "squawking" all the time, you MUST have a tin ear!!

Here's a PERFECT example of the "reality" in America! I can't tell you the times he's told me that I get too wrapped up in politics, that it only upsets me, that I need to take a break or do something else to take my mind off things because it's not healthy! I've told him over and over and over that THIS STUFF affects ALL Americans so it's extremely IMPORTANT that "we the people" speak out, because if we don't it will come back to bite us in the ASS!

While he does vote (I make sure) he's a political slouch and I'm the who stays connected and tuned in, but NOW he's beginning to REALLY see something! What is so very sad and so very upsetting is that there are far too many people JUST LIKE MY HUSBAND! And now to me it's TOO LATE!! Now, when those who have slumbered so long, realize how we've been screwed they act all "Golly Gee" what's up, it's not enough to say to them "I TOLD YOU SO!"

Then I said "it's time that YOU pick up the hammer and get to work, I'm pretty much done!" Too many people have let their country down, not the least of which are those in the Congress of the U.S. of ASS!!

[diane in sf]

106. Sam's Club is Walmart, so Fox Noise playing there doesn't surprise me

[Peace Patriot]

10. Dan Rather's report "The Trouble with Touchscreens" is one of the finest pieces of

investigative reporting I have ever seen. Available at www.HD.net. Do go view it there. The most important story in the history of our democracy, and he nails it. He really does. Both the 2000 and 2004 (s)elections.

You didn't know that the voting machine corporations set up the hanging chad thing, did you? I didn't. Nobody did.

He's hot, this man.

-----

Typical AP bullshite: Rather says CBS "....intentionally botched the aftermath of a **discredited** story." (my emphasis) It was NOT discredited! The story was TRUE. ONE document was reportedly suspect--retyped on later model machine (with the Freepers all primed to jump on that)--but the secretary who typed the ORIGINAL document vouched for the CONTENT of the re-typed document. And there was NO other problem with the documentation.

So somebody was doing a sting. It is inaccurate--wrong, a lie--to call it a "discredited story." You could get away with "confused story" or "mysterious story," if you wanted to fudge the facts without exactly lying. But "discredited story" is not true. "Discredited" by whom? The war profiteering corporate "news" monopoly articles about it--including AP's--were so mindbogglingly sleazy, inaccurate and unconvincing that they themselves are suspect, as perps of this sting against Rather and CBS News.

If Rather is as good on THIS mystery, as he is in "The Trouble with Touchscreens," this is going to be one doozey of a lawsuit. Look out, Bush! Look out, Rove! (Could THIS be why he resigned?) Look out, you dirtbag corporate news monopoly execs!

DAN. RATHER'S. REVENGE.

I love it! And he's doing it for all the right reasons.

"Somebody, sometime has got to take a stand and say democracy cannot survive, much less thrive with the level of big corporate and big government interference and intimidation in news." --Dan Rather

GO, DAN!

[pnorman]

12. Thanks! I notice that there are a number of his DVDs also listed there.

At $10 each, I may order one or two.

pnorman

[ktlyon]

18. The chad thing on punch card ballots has been used for decades

to minimize minority and poor votes by installing machines and never emptying the chad tray. I know because when I lived in Tom Delay's district I could never get the ballot punched properly and didn't have a clue what was going on. I am not sure my vote was ever counted properly in those days.

[Wednesdays]

51. If they go to touch screens, that won't be a problem anymore

Think of it--no more chads! And your vote will be counted...you think...you hope... And you'll know if your vote wasn't registered at the end of the day...oops, maybe not. Um...

[Pyrzqxgl]

82. We're going back to paper ballots here in California & you know I feel safer>

[1776Forever]

107. 2000 Voting Machines used in Florida were surplussed a few years ago & were full of chads

My husband and I saw some of the voting machines used in Florida during the 2000 elections. They were in Tampa FL where they were being auctioned off in one of those government auctions. We didn't win them but he and couldn't believe how packed the chads were inside the machine! It was obvious no one had cleaned them out for ages!

[Peace Patriot]

110. In 2000, Sequoia (in cahoots with Boise Cascade) deliberately printed the punchcard

ballots for Democratic areas of Florida with inferior paper, sure to stretch and create hanging chads. One of the employees says in Rather's report that he was ordered to remove and destroy all evidence--everything with a Sequoya or Boise Cascade name on it--from the elections warehouse right after the 2000 election. Another employee speculates that they did it in order to create a "market" for the vastly more expensive electronic voting machines, and a third employee said they did it to fix the election. The employees said that they always had pride in their work, and felt that they produced quality ballots. They were shocked at the use of inferior paper, and clearly believed that it was no mistake--it was deliberate.

The hanging chads, of course, became the excuse for the Republican "riot" (of Tom Delay's aids), and all that happened in Florida and the Supreme Court in 2000. The point is that the controversy was not some hapless, helpless circumstance. It was SET UP.

This is part of what is revealed in Dan Rather's report "The Trouble with Touchscreens." It's not just about touchscreens, and the mindboggling stupidity of having voting machines that cannot be audited--no tangible ballot for a recount. It's about corruption and conspiracy. Rather also discovers that ES&S has been manufacturing defective electronic voting machines for the U.S. in sweatshops in the Philippines where workers are paid shit wages and work in unbearable heat; even in these conditions the workers worried about the thousands of defective, untested machines that were being shipped to the U.S.

This is all new information--that the punchcards were KNOWINGLY printed on inferior paper for Democratic areas of Florida, and that ES&S, which is making billions of dollars off these voting machine contracts is manufacturing them in FOREIGN SWEATSHOPS--and not only vastly underpaying those workers, and forcing them to work in miserable conditions, but it is denying Americans jobs in the manufacture of machines for our own elections! And they are furthermore sending crapass machines over here for us to vote on.

[DangerDave921]

22. Forgery

This suit will be interesting because part of the proof will have to be that the documents were forged. If so, then Dan had to go. If not, then CBS jettisoned him for no good reason. So this will be hot!!

I always thought Georgie's service was clear preferential treatment. But if CBS didn't properly vet those documents before running with them, there's a problem. I don't care how true the story is. If the documents weren't properly vetted, CBS has some explaining to do.

And it raises an interesting question: Who has the burden of proof in such a situation? Is it CBS' burden to verify the documents before running with them? Or is it the deniers' burden to prove they are false?

[Wednesdays]

53. The burden of proof is on Dan Rather

Which means he has a very good case, or he is incredibly stupid and has an incredibly stupid attorney. I'm very much inclined to believe the former.

I mean, would you go to court--especially with a case so high profile, emotionally charged, and against a media giant--unless you had the goods to win?

[DangerDave921]

57. haven't seen the Complaint

Just a few excerpts. Is Dan alleging breach of contract?

And as a factual matter, was he fired before his contract expired? Or was he simply not renewed? If there was no breach of contract, I have a hard time seeing any merit in his action. No one has a right to have a contract renewed. And what cognizable claim is there for being forced to apologize, or being made a scapegoat?

But I agree that I'd be reluctant to bring a case if I wasn't sure those documents were real.

[fooj]

104. That's my feeling.

Dan's NO dummy. He has the goods.

[Phillycat]

63. My British husband thinks our voting process is absolute insanity.

He says, "Why can't you just put a mark on a paper with, you know, A PEN?"

[Spiffarino]

65. That's right...the story was NOT discredited

Only one document was proven to not be original even though the content was validated.

My suspicion all along was that it was a planted document that the right-wing webtocracy was given to use as a straw man. Rove's stink is all over this

[Norrin Radd]

11. Fuck yeah, Dan!

[liberal N proud]

13. He is getting air time

A local ABC affiliate just aired parts of the interview with Larry King

[deutsey]

15. Now you tell us. Better late than never, though.

[subsuelo]

20. Dan's an obnoxious disruptor who ought to be tasered

seriously, saying stuff like this?? Where's the UF police!?!

:sarcasm:

[riqster]

21. My Brit GF could not believe how shitty American 'News' is

...when she first visited here. She called it 'propaganda' after only a day.

Americans have been living in the pot as the temperature has slowly increased, so many do not notice it. Foreigners say "OW! That's hot!" and jump out.

[MetalCanuck]

28. Our news in Canada is just as bad too.

[BooScout]

87. Yes American news is shit........

But these days news in the UK is shit too. You know it's bad here when the BBC Breakfast News sucks so bad that I have to switch over to Sky News..........which is thankfully not as bad as Fox News.

I do have to agree though that American News is the worst. It's been getting steadily worse since the Entertainment Divisions took over the news.

[mwb970]

23. Could this be big?

Maybe Rather will turn over some big rocks and we'll catch a few Loyal Bushies as they scramble for cover.

[MetalCanuck]

30. Lets hope so, but I doubt anything will happen.

America's (and Canadians) are too busy watching American idol.

[Pyrzqxgl]

83. How about MSNBC or CNN giving Dan a program.

Replace Dan Abrams with Dan Rather or Tucker the Fucker, or Joe the Schmoe, or over at CNN almost anyone.

[The Animator]

24. You know, I've been thinking...

We, as American citizens, ought to file a class action lawsuit against any and all organizations which claim to offer us news, but instead give us infotainment. We are supposed to be able to rely on the News to make informed decisions about our policies and our leaders. We there for have a fundamental right to be given the best information available and have it presented in a non biased manner. It is my belief that if the supposed watchdogs of our society had actually been doing there jobs for the last seven years, the * Administration would have been drummed out of D.C. before he even took office. Gore would have been in the White House and our country would be in much, much better shape.

The news used to be neutral. As a reporter of the News, your political ideologies were put aside, kept private. The public didn't need to know how you felt about an issue. The facts spoke for themselves. There is a level of trust in that... that the public at large was smart enough to make up their own damn minds about things.

Now, just about every major American News outlet tells you only what they want you to know, and, as an added bonus, they tell you how to feel about it too. You don't even have to think about how you feel about things anymore, it's already been decided for you What A Convenience!

[rainy]

29. You are right. The licenses should not be renewed as the deal is that they

have to devote some air time to aiding the public. When we prove that they are not doing their part of the deal they should be canceled.

[mntleo2]

41. You might read Marshall McCluhan (sp?)

...in the 60's he wrote books and did studies as to news and what it means. He taught that the very choice of what is news is already censorship. His most memorable saying was, "The media is the message and the message is the media ..." Below is a Wikipedia article about the man. I studied him in high school and it was there I learned to think critically about advertising, sitcoms, drama and news. I would not have "gotten" all the propaganda being aired now without having learned from his work myself.

Maybe I should write a diary about him. He really influenced my thinking about what was being presented and not only on TV, but in the movies, on stage and most of all in the news and it always made me ask the question: what is their agenda, and if it is hidden or up front? If it is hidden, why are they hiding it? Most of the time there is a reason for hiding agendas, I have found, and it is usually quite selfish as well as not a good agenda for the observer ...

Sadly, hardly anybody now days even knows who the man is. But he was a pioneer in studying the affects of media on culture and also his work stands today still. I now respect anyone who is up front about their agenda. Which is why I like Air America. They say right up front who they are, while most other corporate media hides it and you have to watch carefully to find out what it is. some are quite clever about hiding their agenda, not as obvious a liar as FAUX.

Anyway a good question to ask when you are watching the news is, "why are they choosing this as news?" and "what is the hidden message I am getting?" Like if they are always showing missing white girls, "why are they showing this instead of telling me what is happening right now in Congress, or Iraq or in Europe, or in S America?"

To understand the agenda clearly is to be able to prove in court there is a massive hidden agenda across all corporate media in order to keep Americans in the dark. It should not be hard to prove because every day there are things being aired that have little to do with what is relevant to our lives or what will impact our families and ourselves.

Very impressive background IMO of Marshall MCCluhan! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_McLuhan.

Here is a quote from one of his books written in 1962, 45 years ago and as relevant today IMO:

"The global village

In the early 1960s, McLuhan wrote that the visual, individualistic print culture would soon be brought to an end by what he called "electronic interdependence": when electronic media replace visual culture with aural/oral culture. In this new age, humankind will move from individualism and fragmentation to a collective identity, with a "tribal base." McLuhan's coinage for this new social organization is the global village, a term which has predominantly negative connotations in The Gutenberg Galaxy (a fact lost on its later popularizers):

" ... Instead of tending towards a vast Alexandrian library the world has become a computer, an electronic brain, exactly as an infantile piece of science fiction. And as our senses have gone outside us, Big Brother goes inside. So, unless aware of this dynamic, we shall at once move into a phase of panic terrors, exactly befitting a small world of tribal drums, total interdependence, and superimposed co-existence. <...> Terror is the normal state of any oral society, for in it everything affects everything all the time. <...> In our long striving to recover for the Western world a unity of sensibility and of thought and feeling we have no more been prepared to accept the tribal consequences of such unity than we were ready for the fragmentation of the human psyche by print culture.<31> ..." "

Cat In Seattle

[bbgrunt]

44. thanks for that reminder about McLuhan--he is certainly most relevant today!

[Bragi]

26. Wonder if Time-Warner's Court TV will broadcast the trial? /NT

[MetalCanuck]

27. Corporate News has been around since the beginning of the 20th century.

Its just getting worst now, when the Bankers and oil companies
caused the depression they bought everything including media,
small banks and pretty much the government as well. 

[Orrex]

33. Dan Rather: Watt Wins Patent on Steam Engine

Way to stay current, Dan.

I mean, really. Sure, it's nice that a newsanchor who resigned in apparent disgrace over an expose on the government is now spreading the word that the government is running the presses, but so what? He lacks all credibility on the subject to anyone except those who already knew that the government was doing it.

Nice to have you aboard, Dan, but we could have used your on-air input when you were still on-air.

[Robb]

37. Give him a little slack

...I'm sure he felt 98% of the time he could report what he wanted to.

For much of its history, remember, CBS understood the notion of the newsroom, that an independent news arm would deliver viewers better than anything else, and you could base your commercial advertising around that. It really is only recently that newsrooms became subject to the rest of a network's business practice.

And the trouble is, on the government influence part, there was a time when editors felt they could take their elected officials' words when they said, "Sit on this story for three days, it'll be bad for the country if it comes out now."

[Doctor_J]

47. If he'd said this on-air, he'd have been fired before he got back to his office

:shrug:

[Wednesdays]

55. In a roundabout way, he's been saying this for years

He just had to mince words until he was let go by CBS.

[htuttle]

69. True

I remember Dan saying something, "This is worse than being a deaf-mute in a room of blind people", or something folksy like that...

Just poking fun...been a fan of Dan Rather's since I saw him get rough-handled by security on the floor of the Democratic convention in '68. On TV, of course -- I wasn't there in person.

[Beetwasher]

38. Hear That? That's The DEATH KNELL Of the Traditional Media!

BRAVO DAN RATHER!!!! VIVA DAN RATHER!!!!!!

[shanti]

43. ya think, dan?

:eyes:

[Doctor_J]

45. I will no longer call them Nazis

Fascists is the accurate term.

[happygoluckytoyou]

46. IN A RELATED STORY... DAN RATHER DIED IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE VISITING HALLIBURTON YESTERDAY

NUFF SAID...

REMEMBER TO VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4TH 2008...
AND REMIND YOUR REPUBLICAN FRIENDS THAT DUE TO EXPECTED HEAVY TURNOUT, REPUBLICANS ARE BEING ASKED TO VOTE ON NOVEMBER 5TH

[earth mom]

54. I was thinking something along the same line....

watch your back Dan! Stay safe!

[EVDebs]

48. Operation Mockingbird never went away

Operation Mockingbird
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKmockingbird.htm

which is directly related to the illegal domestic spying operations like CHAOS,

Domestic Surveillance:
The History of Operation CHAOS
by Verne Lyon
from Covert Action Information Bulletin, Summer 1990

http://www.serendipity.li/cia/lyon.html

[Lone_Star_Dem]

49. Whatever opinion you may have on Dan Rather before this

His words and his actions here deserve our support and respect.

This is what we've all known and what we've been wanting to see brought to the attention of Americans for quite some time.

Thank you, Dan Rather.

[TexasBushwhacker]

56. CBS canned a lot of stories after Rathergate

I knew that they canned the 30 minute segment that Ed Bradley did on the whole yellow cake uranium, fake documents from Niger story:

http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2004/09/29/cbs_wmd/index0.html

I called in to AirAmerica the other night when Greg Palast was talking about the situation with Dan Rather. I asked him if he knew if that segment had ever aired. He said not only was that segment shelved, but he worked on a segment about disenfranchisement of black voters in Florida that was shelved as well. He said that after the Rather mess, they shelved ALL segments they had finished or were working on that could even vaguely be construed as being against the Bush administration. They didn't even air them AFTER the election. Palast said that he asked Les Moonves (a Democrat) point blank if he was afraid of the Bush administration. Palast said that Moonves answered a simple, quick, "YES".

Read more about what Palast has to say about the whole thing here:

http://www.gregpalast.com/dan-crashes-bush-flies-high/#more-1424

[lpbk2713]

58. We knew it all along, Dan.

But thanks for validating our suspicions anyway. Good luck Dan. I hope your suit makes CBS look like the evil megamedia corp that they truly are.

[MessiahRp]

59. I miss Dan on network news...

I don't have HDNet but I bet he's doing a hell of a job. He was always heads and tails better than Jennings or Brokaw and compared to today's group of incompetence on network TV he's the fucking Walter Cronkite of our time.


Rp

[truthisfreedom]

64. I coulda come sooner for my taste, Dan, but congratulations on growing some brass ones, finally.

Note to Dan: Stay out of small planes.

[Lint Head]

66. The end to corporate rights needs to be now.

Over many decades America has done well economically, but at what price. You can point to everything from the environment to drugs to tainted food to wars that have have filled the national and multinational corporations money bags and caused thousands to die.
Tobacco is one example. I say smoke 'em if you got 'em. Manufacturing corporation should not have Constitutional rights as an individual to lobby Congress to keep government from regulating the safety of their product. No one or thing should have the right to manufacture anything that kills unless it is a weapon that is meant to kill and that should be regulated too.

Can anyone think of a single time that a right given to "We the people.." as individuals has ever killed anyone. The only exception I can think of would be self defense. I don't think corporations are killing people in self defense. :dem:

[KansDem]

71. NPR "jumped the shark" as well...remember Barry Crimmins's article?

I found the entire article on...shudders!...Free Republic, of all places! Anyway, I think it put to rest the notion that NPR is "liberal."

I Was Almost a Stooge For National Plutocrat Radio
Boston Phoenix ^ | 2/23/03 | Barry Crimmins

On Tuesday afternoon (2/18/03), I got a phone call from a representative of the National Public Radio show On Point. She told me she got my name from a friend of mine. She asked if I could do a brief piece on the burgeoning field of aspirants for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination for a portion of the show called Radio Diaries.

Because I am a professional and only torch bridges when absolutely necessary, I refrained from telling her that I didn't need to have my time wasted by NPR. Again. More often than not, when NPR producers have asked me to write essays for them, they have decided not to use them. Almost always this was because I didn't come in with exactly what was in their mind's ear. A few year's ago I recorded several commentaries at an Ohio NPR affiliate. They never ran. I was never paid for writing and performing them. I never received expenses for a few rather long round-trips to do the work. Eventually it was explained to me that the audio essays didn't run because I sounded too professional to give the commentary the authentic "regular person" feel they desired. You see, as a long-time performer, I knew how to sell what I said. They didn't think I sounded organic enough. And so they brought in other people who were easier to train to seem like they were themselves.

On Point, a show that airs in a few dozen markets, emanates from WBUR in Boston. I gained renown as a political satirist in that town. I have written for the Boston Phoenix for years. I have friends in the arts, academia, the media and the progressive political community. I also know my share of cabdrivers, bartenders, ticket-scalpers, construction workers and municipal employees. I have received numerous awards for my community activism. I started the first full-time comedy club in the Boston area in 1979. It is often referred to as the "fabled Ding Ho." A lot of very talented people started their careers at that club. The first film at the Boston Film Festival next month will be Fran Solimita's When Stand-up Stood Out. It's about the early days of stand-up in the Hub. Word has it I show up a few times. If you do a Google search under the term "political satirist," at least as of this morning, my website is the first place that is suggested.I do not present this immodest collection of fact for purposes of vanity but instead to expose the ineptitude of NPR.

As ever, they approached me as if I were an unknown fledgling in need of guidance. Within the first thirty seconds of the call I knew two things: this woman had no idea who I was and what she wanted me to say on the radio was utter pap.

Two years into the court-appointed Bush administration's destruction of our way of life and the first call I received from NPR was a request to belittle Democrats. Ostensibly they wanted me to make fun of the fact that the field of candidates had grown very quickly in recent weeks. That's right; NPR was soliciting me to satirize democracy for showing signs of vibrancy. And so this young producer tried to steer me that way. She started by mentioning the size of the Democratic field and then asked, "Do you think any of them has the stature to take on George W. Bush?"

I said, "My dog Lloyd has the stature to take on Bush." But then I allowed, "Of course, I raised him myself."

We went back and forth and I said I could run down the field for her. She reminded me twice that the game I was to bag was of the Democratic variety. I said I'd put something together for her. I requested a list of candidates in case I'd overlooked someone. She sent the Dem roster and the next morning, I wrote the piece. They had my script by midday Wednesday. I was supposed to tape it Thursday. I figured if I got it in early, we could sort out any difficulties with time to spare. Like I said, I'm a professional.

Here is what I sent them (minus a few typos and plus one slight change in the Kucinich portion):

Radio Diary

Now that we have selected and ordered the hydrogen cars we will be driving into the glowing future, it is none too soon to begin considering the field for the 2004 Democratic presidential primaries. Someone asked me the other day if I felt any if the announced or potential Democratic candidates possessed the stature to challenge George W. Bush for the White House. When I regained my composure, I realized that my interrogator had queried in earnest. And so I began to consider just who among the Democrats may be equipped to curtail W's court-appointment with destiny.

If the Dems nominate Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman, it would set a precedent. With Lieberman on the fall 2004 ballot it would be the first time a Republican faced a.....Republican in the general election. Joe should do the honorable thing and challenge Bush in the primaries.

Dennis Kucinich, the firebrand congressman from Cleveland, Ohio, gives great speeches and is a wonderful peace activist. He will have to employ both of these gifts to keep himself out of a war with fellow Democrats over his sometimes-weak stance on reproductive rights.

The Reverend Al Sharpton lines up the most consistently with the millions of Americans at the peace marches-- probably because he is the only candidate to consistently attend peace marches. Nevertheless, Sharpton’s primary opponents will likely be spoiling for a Tawana Brawley.

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry says what Iraq needs is globalization but has yet to explain how he plans to move Iraqi oil fields to China. Kerry tells us he snookered Bush by voting for his war. If he can sell that to voters, he should have no trouble debating Dubya.

Senator John Edwards of North Carolina is running as the multimillionaire of the people. His background as a trial lawyer may cause him some tribulations. It’s fine when Dr. Bill Frist assists accident victims with medical care but it is positively un-American to assist the accident victim in recovering damages for trauma and debilitation. Isn't it?

Regardless of what you may have heard, should former Vermont Governor Howard Dean win the presidency, he will not hire Tom Poston to be the White House handyman. He may however bring along an agenda that includes peace, health care and gay rights to Washington. His opponents may experience primary discomfort if they don't adopt the views of this country doctor.

Former Illinois Senator Carol Mosley-Braun’s friendship with the late and unlamented Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha might have caught the eye of the Democratic Leadership Council, which is always on the lookout for candidates capable of collaborating with natural enemies of rank and file citizenry.

Florida Senator Robert Graham could employ geography and gravity in a duel with Dubya. Graham was the chairman of Senate Intelligence Committee when he voted against the Iraq war resolution. It will be hard to call that vote “uninformed.” While Florida governor, Graham brought the state back to capital punishment in stylish fashion by re -commissioning the antique electric chair Old Sparky for executions. The Sunshine State recently replaced the relic with a chair that goes above “medium-high.”

House Minority creator Dick Gephardt of Missouri outflanks Bush on the right concerning Iraq, while providing a moderate counterpoint to Lieberman. On the stump, he's every bit as dynamic as Muenster cheese.

General Wesley Clark may run on a platform of opposition to the US becoming a colonial power. Dick Cheney is privately fuming that someone leaked the minutes of his colonial power meetings to Clark. George Bush thought Florida already was a colony.

If Former Colorado Senator Gary Hart enters the race he would actually widen and shallow the field simultaneously. What will his mantra be this time? New & Improved ideas?

It may not be premature to consider the 2004 Democratic roster but it is certainly too soon to narrow the field. I hope more candidates get in before the winnowing begins. Remember, today's joke can be tomorrow's president. And vice versa.

With a commentary, I’m Barry Crimmins

Not bad for short notice. It was about as innocuous as I can be while retaining the rights to my soul. I did make it clear that I thought the sheer volume of candidates was a good thing. And there wasn't a millimeter of slack for Bush.

I didn't hear anything from On Point that afternoon. Early in the evening, I got an e-mail from the producer (or assistant or whatever she is) saying that another person (and I am withholding the names of these people as a courtesy to youth) would "give you a call tomorrow morning to go over the piece with you. Thanks for getting it to us so promptly. We've been a little swamped today on this end."

I knew this meant trouble. "Go over it with you" was the key phrase. It meant "scrap and rewrite."

I waited around all morning -- no calls. I had other pressing matters to attend to, like the book I am writing for Seven Stories Press. Nevertheless, as a writer/performer I am hardwired to get one task done at a time. And so from Tuesday evening until Thursday afternoon, I was distracted by this radio essay. It only promised to pay a measly $100, but hey, I'm an artist and money isn’t my primary concern. Still, this represented a profoundly insulting fee.

Finally, at 12:15 PM, my promised morning call arrived. A producer, this time a young man, started with tepid praise but then told me what they really wanted was a "satire" on the size of the field. He said this as if I somehow couldn't understand the word "satire." He sold his point by using exaggerated emphasis, as if I needed help grasping the concept that he thinks it's silly for so many candidates to be in the running for the Democratic bid. "There are three new ones this week! When will it end??!!" He was confident at first but that didn't last long. I can be rather difficult, particularly when I’m right.

I said I wasn't the person to write this "satire" because I encouraged by the size of the field. It demonstrated that pols have been emboldened by the grassroots opposition to Bush. The millions in the streets have translated into more choices for president because suddenly it's clear that W is vulnerable. It means the field isn't being prematurely narrowed thereby excising important views before the public can vote on them. It is good in a democracy when there are a lot of candidates. I said I wouldn't make wrong-headed conventional wisdom palatable by making it “wacky.”

I continued by saying that if they think the broadening field is something to belittle, then they really don't possess much political sophistication. A broad field was to be encouraged and celebrated. It is an indication that the possibilities aren't about to be narrowed, making it easier for the moneyed few to buy all the viable candidates.

I made a point of telling this fellow that I understood that it was just his bad luck to have caught the assignment of dealing with me and that this was nothing personal. I actually felt sorry for the guy. He had one trump card -- he could either put me on the air or not. I quickly trumped it by making it crystal clear that they could put their show in an NPR tote bag and place it somewhere far removed from solar occurrences. I told him that their money ($100!!) was not worth my time or talent. I would read the essay I wrote and even clean it up a bit, if they liked. But I had neither the time nor inclination to turn it into something in which I did not believe. He said I didn't understand. They weren't looking for "commentary,” they wanted “satire." Besides, this was a segment called "Radio Diaries" and not meant for commentary. There were plenty of other places to do that on NPR. He said they didn't really want a rundown of the candidates. Well then why the question of "stature?" And why e-mail me the list of Dems with hats in or near the ring? To make fun of the field of candidates for its sheer size would be commentary. Hell, all satire is commentary. And that's what I do, ask around. I am a commentator. I said I understood that my act may not be appropriate for their show but they needed to realize that their show might not be appropriate for my act. Having run dangerously low on italics, I was happy our call was nearly over.

He said he would talk to his "senior producer" and promised to get back to me "one way or the other." He never did. I politely sat around the rest of the afternoon waiting for the return call. It never came. I wasn't surprised but it is annoying when people don't keep their word.

I wish I had read the On Point website before speaking with this person. I'd have quoted its description of what Radio Diaries are: "These personal essays written and narrated by listeners allow fresh voices and fascinating viewpoints to be heard on public radio..."

Slick production standards may make On Point sound sophisticated and elegant but it is run by at least some rather impolite and ignorant people. The representatives of the show I encountered were extremely disrespectful of my time and talent. They were shook up when I matter-of-factly dismissed their absurd presumption that a broadened democratic process should annoy us. Their desire to impatiently belittle something that wasn't immediately obvious to them is right out of the Morning Zoo radio playbook. So the next time you hear something called a “Radio Diary” on On Point, remember that although “diary” implies that personal views are being expressed, on this show the person doing the expressing may well be a stooge mouthing the none-too-thoughtful opinions of the producers.

Finally, I write this as a means of informing people about how the media sometimes works. I am not disappointed or injured. I should understand that I don't click with NPR. (save for way back when, when I regularly visited a show called Heat, hosted by the wonderful John Hockenberry) So if anyone is to blame, it's me -- for allowing my time to be wasted. I just figured I'd take a shot and try to smuggle some content onto American airwaves. Maybe next time.

And oh yeah... They want satire? How about:

Welcome to Nothing Considered But the Stuff Our Corporate Sponsors Want Considered on National Over-privileged Caucasian Radio.

NOCR -- The network that allows you to feel that a $45,000 car and a social conscience aren't mutually exclusive.

Let the world know you care -- put your NOCR Sticker on your LandRover.

National Over-privileged Caucasian Radio, formerly National Plutocrat Radio, is member-supported -- just like a country club.

Our news division is running dangerously low on sound effects. Please give now so that we can hear festively clad native women removing clay bread pans from wood-burning ovens deep in the heart of the Amazon. Think of how diminished your day would be without the sounds brought to you on NOCR.

We have several exciting new premiums for contributions to our funding drive that will run from now through Beach Season.

For a donation of just $250 you’ll a gift basket from Archer-Daniels Midland, the multinational concern that mutates America's Breadbasket. Archer-Daniels Midland --the innovative folks who have found a way to make vegetarian food bad for you!

Upon receipt of your gift of $500, we will send you an official pair of authentic NOCR kneepads, just like the ones our reporters at the Pentagon and White House use!

Or give $1,000 and get a twelve CD set of out -takes from the Ken Burns Takes Credit For Jazz series on our sister network National Over-privileged Caucasian Television, featuring Winton Marsalis and George Will discussing the good old days before Negro Music got threatening. Perfect for listening while lounging around your summer home or any of your other residences!

This is NOCR, we wouldn’t know a working person if he or she knocked on our back door.

Remember, if the announcer speaks in clipped phrases and with anal punctuation and sounds as if he would rather wear a crisply starched white shirt than have magnificent sex, you're listening to National Over-privileged Caucasian Radio.

This reminder: NOCR complies with FCC statutes that require that a portion of our on-air staff consist of people of color but you'd never know it to listen to the cookie cutter stodginess of our patter.

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And now the News from NOCR, portions of which are not brought to you thanks to the generosity of our corporate sponsors…..



The website, if you're so inclined: FreeRepublic

...and now I must scurry off to shower and cleanse myself of that Freeper stench...

[shance]

Read Carl Bernstein's "The CIA and the Media" in Rolling Stone magazine 1977

It reveals who really owns and operates the media.

[shance]

77. Read Carl Bernstein's "The CIA and the Media" in Rolling Stone magazine 1977

It reveals who really owns and operates the media.

[IsItJustMe]

79. I think a person would almost have to be a fool or willfully ignorant not to realize that the m$m in

this country is nothing more than a propaganda organ for the corps. and the govt. that they supply us with.

[harun]

80. There was a conference call headed by Rice with news Execs

after 9/11 that I always felt had more to it than reported. The reporting of the call was that Rice wanted these outlets to screen any Al-Qaeda messages before reporting them.

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1849

Personally I feel this is when the media went under marshal law by the Government. If you look at everything reported from then on it was cheerleading for whatever the admin wanted. All sites, web and TV, show the exact B*sh phrases they have asked to have printed prominently from their outlets. Look at any of the MSM web sites on any day. It will have a quote from a top policy official of the B*sh administration almost all the time. It was only recently that B*sh's ratings and respect have fallen so low that they are now using things others have said. Guess they are giving us a break for a while because the kool-aid isn't working like it used to.

[go west young man]

84. I recall Mike Malloy saying the other day that he has friends who

work at CNN who say that there are people there that worked in the CIA and people working with them even know who they are. It's the accepted norm. I know for a fact if you go through the Board Of Director's of all the major media companys there are many people who have served on the Presidents Foreign Policy Advisory Board or done a stint at The World Bank or have affiliations with right wing think tanks. Is it any coincidence that all 3 major 24 hour networks (CNN, MSNBC,Faux) cover the exact same story's day after day? I thought in a capitalist model they might try something a bit different from each other when it comes to story's to expose? Unless of course it's a coordinated effort to keep us all distracted. So we forget about the WWWWWWWWAAAAAARRRRRRRR!

[SteppingRazor]

85. Sadly, even this story covering the media's bias toward Bush appears biased toward Bush

It's kind of odd that Richard Thornburgh, one of the two men who reviewed Rather's work and found it wanting, is identified as a "former U.S. Attorney-General," but the story does not identify him as Bush Sr.'s attorney-general, thus making presence on the panel highly suspect?

[The Count]

94. Excellent observation. All the commentary is very dismissive here...

[WildEyedLiberal]

89. Dan Rather is a hero.

That word gets thrown around so often on DU that it's lost nearly all significance. Pretty much any idiot who throws a tantrum in public gets called a "hero" by someone, to the point that the true meaning of heroism has become lost.

Dan Rather is a fearless journalist in the tradition of his mentors, Murrow and Cronkite, and in this he is showing a true dedication to the their spirit. I have nothing but respect for Dan Rather.

CBS used to be a model of what journalism should be - how far they've fallen.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

90. Dan, maybe you should run for President (not too late!)

[The Count]

93. "journalists most of the times succeed"? The article is very dismissive, biased

Kudos to Rather!

[Kurovski]

102. K&R. (nt)

[Jacobin]

105. Gee, YA THINK????

:eyes:

[ksilvas]

108. World to Rather, "Duh!", to little to late, nt.

[Vidar]

111. I can easily understand why Rather needed to lick his wounds

for a while after CBS' treacherous betrayal of him, but I am very heartened and grateful that he is taking on those bastards now. Dan, you and Helen Thomas are what journalism should be. Give 'em hell!

[Blue_Tires]

113. ttt